A jeep crashed into a crowd of people and caught fire in front of the Tiananmen rostrum in downtown Beijing at noon on Monday, killing five people and injuring another 38, police said.

The dead include three people in the jeep, a Philippine female tourist and a male tourist from South China's Guangdong Province, according to the police.

The 38 injured include two female and one male tourist from the Philippines as well as a male tourist from Japan.

Officials from the Chinese central government, Ministry of Public Security and Beijing municipal government arrived at the scene after the incident to guide the rescue efforts.

They called for all-out efforts to save the lives of the injured, a quick search for the truth behind the incident and strong measures to guarantee the safety and stability of the capital city.

The injured are receiving treatment at nearby hospitals. Doctors have carried out operations, bandaging and other emergency treatment measures according to their injuries.

The jeep crashed into a guardrail of Jinshui Bridge across the moat of the Forbidden City before bursting into flames at 12:05 pm, according to municipal police and Beijing Emergency Medical Center.

The fire was put out soon after. Traffic returned to normal there at 1:09 pm.

Further investigation is under way.